Christians, Can any of you actually tell me the definition of the term 'theory'?

Question

Do you have your own secret dictionary thats different from the rest of the world?

Thamks Lord Kelvin and Jantoo. Nobody else is in the ballpark. Any more Xtians want to give it a shot?

Answer 1

There are two definitions in common use, scientific and vernacular, that is where most of the confusion lies.

As you will no doubt find from all the answers posted below.

Answer 2

A theory is a postulate that includes predictions for which some proofs have been obtained.

While they don't necessarily have to follow this rule, the best theories are based on constants, mathametical foundations, the work of other people, establishes rules, laws or methods.

Einstein's theory of relativity made use of Plancks equations and his E=mc2 was a re-working of an existing balance equation. He just refined it and modernized it. It, of course, is also based on common relativity which was first postulated by Galileo. Einstein's work was in General and later Special Realativity, which deals with time, space, speed and mass.

The atomic bomb is one of the proofs that can be used to back up Einstein's theories.

The off positions of stars near the limb of the sun during solar eclipses provided other proofs.

Now, if the Tachyon is ever documented and fits the motif as expects, it would be a falsifcation of Einstein's statement that the speed of light is an absolute maximum and nothing can travel faster.

But, it is said the best theories are those that also produce falsifications.

The expanding universe was a falstification for Einstein, athough he originally had that expansion documented with his own math and discounted it based on his view of steady state and played with the math, which was a big mistake and he admitted it.

Answer 3

Some of these answers are a real hoot. It's one thing to be intellectually conscious of the extent to which ignorance pervades our society... it is quite another thing to see it on such flagrant display. That is downright depressing.

Anyway... a 'fact' is something detected by observation or experiment that is indisputably the case; for example, if you hold a rock up in the air and drop it, it will fall to the ground... that is an example of a 'fact'.

A 'theory' occupies a higher tier of importance in science than do mere facts... theories EXPLAIN facts. Take the example of the FACT that a rock will fall to the ground, if dropped. There might be several possible explanations that account for this FACT; so, we make some educated guesses... 'hypotheseses':

* Intelligent earth-suck
* Intelligent falling (http://www.theonion.com/content/node/39512?issue=4228&special=2005)
* Gravitational force
* Curvature of space-time
* The Will of God

Galileo had made note of the fact that rocks do not hover in the air if you drop them... in fact, he went even further, and by rolling marbles down a groove in an inclined plane, he made detailed measurements that showed that the farther things fall, the faster they go (acceleration). He was only able to figure out how the AVERAGE velocity of the marbles changed as he changed the inclination of the rack, though.

Up until Newton's time, the 'Will of God' hypothesis was pretty much in vogue as the best guess for why things fell and why things (mostly) remained stuck to the ground. Actually, the 'Will of God' hypotheses was the best guess for EVERYTHING that people didn't understand. Unfortunately though, this hypothesis never achieved the status of theory, because of a few fatal flaws... while it has some extremely feeble EXPLANATORY POWER ("God did it... nothing to see here... everybody go home now."), it has absolutely NO PREDICTIVE POWER, and it is NOT FALSIFIABLE. Those are ALL requirements of a valid scientific theory... explanatory power, predictive power and falsifiability.

Newton, however, was not satisfied with that. After an encounter with an apple falling from a tree (probably just a legend), Newton deduced that some kind of force might be at work... and wondered whether that force, since it seemed to reach all the way up to the top of the apple tree, might actually reach all the way up to the moon, and beyond. So, he used Galileo's data from rolling marbles down an inclined plane to derive some formulas which described the motion and acceleration of the marbles, and to predict the instantaneous velocity of the objects at any point in their journey... i.e., he invented 'calculus'. THEN, he used HIS equations to mathematically derive Kepler's laws for the motion of the planets... which Kepler had derived empirically (i.e., via direct observation). So, now Newton had a THEORY instead of a hypothesis. Not only did it have tremendous predictive power and tremendous explanatory power... it also UNIFIED different tracks of scientific inquiry by showing that the planets were subject to the same force and followed the same rules that caused rocks (or apples) to fall to earth if they become unglued from whatever it is that is holding them up.

Too bad it was wrong.

Oh... something important... a lot of people seem to think that a 'theory' is just an idea, or a guess, up until the time it gets 'proven'... at which point it becomes a 'law of science'. That is absolutely WRONG. 'Laws' describe mathematical relationships. Theories NEVER get proven. Scientists do experiments, make predictions, make observations in an attempt to DISPROVE a theory. Remember 'falsifiability'? No... 'proof' is for mathematicians. stamp collectors and liquor distillers... not scientists.

OK... I got carried away. Anyway... buried somewhere in that stuff I wrote above is a key point... "God did it" is not a theory... it has extremely feeble explanatory power, zero predictive power, and it is not falsifiable.

Also, "God exists" is not a theory because it does not purport to explain or predict anything. It is simply a bland assertion... without anything offered to back it up. In formal logic, this would be a 'proposition'... something to be proven or disproven.

"God exists" is not a fact, either... it is not 'indisputable'. It has never been observed. It has never been produced as the result of an experiment.

So... 'god' is not a 'fact'... god is not a 'theory'. So, what might god be, then?

I think 'myth', or 'delusion' might be good choices.

Answer 4

A. Yes I can:
1. A set of statements or principles devised to explain a group of facts or phenomena, especially one that has been repeatedly tested or is widely accepted and can be used to make predictions about natural phenomena.
2. The branch of a science or art consisting of its explanatory statements, accepted principles, and methods of analysis, as opposed to practice: a fine musician who had never studied theory.
3. A set of theorems that constitute a systematic view of a branch of mathematics.
4. Abstract reasoning; speculation: a decision based on experience rather than theory.
5. A belief or principle that guides action or assists comprehension or judgment: staked out the house on the theory that criminals usually return to the scene of the crime.
6. An assumption based on limited information or knowledge; a conjecture.
B. eh... that would be a no... do you?

Answer 5

I can define theory, at least within the context of rhetorical analysis, and I find this definition to work fine within Christian activity. "Theory" is a form of disciplinary practice that involves the creation of "new knowledge" that is designed to either provide new foundations or modify existing foundations. While a "theory" is technically unprovable, many theories are often elevated to the point of fact, at least within the general population of the discipline, and even more so outside of the displine proper. For example, the basic theory of gravity--that there is a force that exists between any two non-virtual objects that is proportional to the distance between the objects and the objects masses--is, technically speaking, a theory, in that it cannot be proven or disproven. Furthermore, while within the field of modern physics, as practiced by physicists, the theory is inadequate and most likely "wrong"; but it is so commonplace that the general public accepts it as "fact."

Within a religious context, a theory is still what is said above--a belief advanced by members of a disciplinary practice (in this case, the church, a specific denomination, a specific church, etc.) in order to explain some particular event, circumstance, discourse event, etc. Ultimately, theories of all types (including religious theories) are accepted for a lot of reasons, many of them political, emotional, etc. (i.e., not with reference to practical or observation). In particular, Christians have faith in the theory that says that there was this man-God called Christ who lived a few thosand years ago, who died for our sins, etc. This theory is, of course, unproven (as humans can't ever prove any theory, be it religious, scientific, or whatever), but, for extra-theoretical reasons, we have faith that the theory is a good description of the way the world is and the way people should act.

Answer 6

In everyday usage it means a suggested explanation for something; a hypothesis; a guess.

In science it means an idea that was once a mere hypothesis, but which has subsequently been subjected to extensive testing, and is now extremely well supported by evidence, and thereby provides the best explanation that takes into account all of the currently available observed evidence.

Answer 7

a statement or set of statements used to explain a phenomena. A theory is generally accepted as valid due to having survived repeated testing.

A theory is an abstract formulation of the constant relations between entities or, what means the same thing, the necessary regularity in the concatenation (qv) and sequence of phenomena and/or events. A theory may be true or false. A valid theory attempts to eliminate all contradictions in the application of cause and effect to a given specific situation or set of conditions. The aim of a theory is always success in action. ...

Answer 8

Etymology: Late Latin theoria, from Greek theOria, from theOrein
1 : the analysis of a set of facts in their relation to one another
2 : abstract thought : SPECULATION
3 : the general or abstract principles of a body of fact, a science, or an art
4 a : a belief, policy, or procedure proposed or followed as the basis of action b : an ideal or hypothetical set of facts, principles, or circumstances -- often used in the phrase in theory
5 : a plausible or scientifically acceptable general principle or body of principles offered to explain phenomena
6 a : a hypothesis assumed for the sake of argument or investigation b : an unproved assumption : CONJECTURE c : a body of theorems presenting a concise systematic view of a subject
synonym see HYPOTHESIS

Answer 9

A theory is a hypothesis mixed with a little fact. It's not an actual fact and many theory's have not stood the test of time and new theory's are created to take their place.

Answer 10

1- a speculative plan
2- a formulation of underlying principles of certain observed phenomena that has been verified to some degree
3- the principles of an art or science, rather than its practice
4- a conjecture or guess

i'm christian. can i have the best answer now? i theorize (#4) that i won't get it, simply because i'm christian, or maybe because i didn't use my super special secret christian dictionary.

Answer 11

I am very aware of the definition of THEORY. And with that in mind, the FACT remains that A "common ancestor" evolving into MAN is speculative and lacks FACTS to support it, IE: transitional fossils, or even ONE fossil demonstrating that process. That my friend hasn't been proven. Regardless of how much someone wants it to be a FACT, it's simply not, until they come up with the "missing link."
*Dude I am not cutting and pasting a definition to make you happy, it's obvious what you're getting at, and you have no proof (period).
Have a great one! =)